Human communication has evolved through countless stages, employing a wide range of means and practices. Undoubtedly, writing—regardless of the transformations it underwent—served as a landmark in the critical process of substantiating information, a process fundamental to humanity. In the modern era, around the mid-19th century, written correspondence gained a new medium that would radically reshape the practice of sending written messages: the postcard. The unique nature of this medium lies in its printed image, which functions as an accompanying "gift" to the sender’s handwritten message. In many instances, the image itself constituted the entirety of the message, as numerous postcards were sent without any personal note. The official debut of this new medium occurred on 1 October 1869 in the newly established Austro-Hungarian Empire. Gradually, postcards achieved remarkable popularity: everybody wants to send an image they had personally picked out to a loved one. At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was living in peace and prosperity. The "Belle Époque" was an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that were created and which evolved funneled both people and their products, tangible and intangible. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, sound recording, radio, photography, but also releases in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolved dynamically and anisotropically formed a complex network of "centers" and "peripheries" in alternating roles. It is precisely this context that allows postcards to flourish; this is their "golden age". The establishment of the "Universal Postal Union" was a catalyst for facilitating their global circulation. On October 9, 1874, the Treaty of Bern established the sending and delivery of correspondence between its members.

Continuous advancements in the technology of this new medium aimed at enhancing both its usability and appeal, in order to address it to an increasingly wider audience. The first postcards were small in size and did not contain images. Nevertheless, their convenient size, durable cardboard material, and the inclusion of the cost of postage in their purchase price were innovative features for the time that upgraded the quality of communication. One side was intended for writing the message and the other was for the dispatch details. Soon, however, the image appears, dramatically increasing their demand. The evolution of photographic technology from the 1830s onward made the "real" image sought after. Postcards make a dynamic entry into a global distribution network and serve as a catalyst in the circulation of the image, which memorializes the "local" by carrying its related social representations as far as possible. It leaves–if not seeks–space for the activation of the imaginary on the part of the recipient.

The postcard with the trilingual caption "ATHÈNES.-Eglise byzantine (Capnicarée)." / "ATHENS.-Byzantine Church (Capnicarea)." / «ΑΘΗΝΑΙ.-Εκκλησία βυζαντινή (Καπνικαρέα).» is a publication issued in Athens, as inferred from the back/verso side, where "Ekdotis Thomas V. Sakellaridis, Athinai" (Publisher Thomas V. Sakellaridis, Athens) is mentioned, and bears the code 58774. This particular postcard highlights the city's religious identity. The Church of Panagia Kapnikarea, built around the 11th century, is located in the center of Athens, on Ermou Street.

The photographer's lens focuses on the church while simultaneously presenting a glimpse of a neighborhood in the Greek capital in the early 20th century.

The photograph is colorized and occupies the entire front/recto side, with a small blank space on the right. The verso side is divided vertically, with the left part reserved for the message and the right for the dispatch details. There, dashed lines are visible for filling in the address, along with a field for affixing the postage stamp.

The text is written in French: "Here is what we find as postcards on the island of ‘Emnos’ [note: possibly meant to write Limnos], whose inhabitants are Greek" (“Voici ce que nous trouvons comme cartes postales à l'île de l'Emnos dont les habitants sont Grecs”). No further details about the sender or recipient are indicated, and there is no postmark or postage stamp. It is likely that this postcard was sent in an envelope which contained the missing details. The postcard was found for sale outside of Athens, from where it was probably sent. If it was indeed Limnos, we can assume that it was sent before 1912, as the island had not yet been annexed to the Greek state at that time and was still part of the Ottoman Empire. This may explain the sender’s surprise, as they realized that the Greek-speaking community on the island was larger than expected compared to other populations.

Research and text: Dora Spetsiotou1